Singtel offers more support to accelerate AI adoption among Singapore SMEs

- New programme to help small and medium enterprises (SMEs) move from AI experimentation to real-world implementation 

Source: Singtel. An AI.dea training scenario.

Singtel Singapore has launched AI.dea — an AI business transformation programme, developed in partnership with SIM Academy to help SMEs in Singapore accelerate AI adoption and unlock new opportunities for productivity, innovation and growth.

As AI moves from experimentation to real-world deployment, many businesses continue to grapple with the complexities of implementation, Singtel said, observing that while AI has proven to be a powerful driver of productivity and growth, adoption among Singapore SMEs remains relatively low.

While digital adoption among SMEs in Singapore has grown significantly in recent years, Singtel said that many businesses continue to face challenges in fully realising value from new technologies, particularly in complex areas such as AI.  

According to the Infocomm Media Development Authority’s (IMDA's) Singapore Digital Economy Report 2025*, only 14.5% of SMEs have implemented AI solutions, compared to 62.5% of larger enterprises — a wide competitive gap.  

AI.dea aims to address this gap by making AI accessible, practical and secure for local businesses. The programme will equip SMEs with the capabilities to integrate AI into their operations and compete more effectively in an increasingly digital economy. To boost adoption, eligible SMEs will receive up to 90% in funding from SkillsFuture Singapore.  

Ng Tian Chong, CEO of Singtel Singapore, said, “AI has quickly become a key driver of business transformation, but many organisations are still figuring out where to even begin. Singtel Singapore’s own journey has shown that success with AI requires more than just technology — it takes the right capabilities, governance and mindset. 

"With AI.dea, we are bringing these lessons to SMEs, helping them to adopt AI applications before committing to full-scale deployment so they can realise tangible business outcomes.”   

Ho Seong Kim, CEO of SIM Academy added: “As Singapore advances its National AI Strategy, SMEs — the foundation of our business ecosystem — must be equipped to participate meaningfully in this transformation. As the selected learning partner for this programme, we leverage our expertise in applied, outcome-driven learning to help SME leaders build in-house capabilities, develop actionable adoption strategies, and implement AI with confidence to drive tangible business outcomes.” 

AI.dea is designed to help SMEs overcome common barriers to adoption, including limited in-house expertise, uncertainty around implementation, and concerns around data security and governance.

Through a structured, hands-on approach, participants will design, build and validate real-world use cases tailored to their business needs.

Participants will benefit from:

· Hands-on application: Design and test AI use cases through guided proof-of-concept development

· Expert guidance: Learn from practitioners with experience in scaling AI across organisations

· Governance and security: Build capabilities in AI governance, data protection and risk management

· Strategic roadmap development: Define AI ambition and develop a clear, actionable adoption plan

Advancing SME digital transformation 

The AI.dea programme complements Singtel’s broader suite of SME-focused initiatives:

· TikTok Masterclass: A brand-building and e-commerce enablement programme that helps SMEs to strengthen their digital presence, connect with customers more effectively, and capture growth opportunities in the digital economy.

· Cyber Protect: A tripartite initiative by Singtel, Enterprise Singapore and IMDA to bolster SMEs’ cyber resilience through workshops, curated learning resources, and subsidised cyber solutions, enabling businesses to identify risks, adopt stronger cyber hygiene practices and better protect themselves against evolving cyber threats.

· Cyber Elevate: A training programme which provides cyber risk audits, resilience workshops, and mentorship to help SMEs prepare, detect, respond to, and recover from cyberattacks at heavily-subsidised rates, with support from law firm Drew & Napier and incident response firm Blackpanda as consultants.

· Defence Against Cyber Scams: Developed for large enterprises to upskill and reskill their employees to be better able to identify, combat and prevent scams.

· SPEED: A 15-month initiative aimed at helping SMEs decarbonise through education, energy-efficient technology deployment and continuous improvement strategies. The programme is designed to enable SMEs to go digital and achieve environmental goals at the same time.

As a SkillsFuture Queen Bee, Singtel plays a pivotal role in enabling enterprises – especially SMEs – to upskill, digitalise and innovate. Its end-to-end solutions – spanning mobility and connectivity, to cybersecurity, Internet of Things (IoT) and collaboration tools – are tailored to evolving business needs. 

Details

The programme fee is S$15,000 (before GST), with up to 90% funding available for eligible businesses under the Enhanced Training Support for SMEs programme, supported by SkillsFuture Singapore.

To qualify, companies must:

· Be registered and incorporated in Singapore

· Have at least 30% local shareholding by Singapore citizens or permanent residents (PRs) 

· Have an annual sales turnover not exceeding S$100 million or an employment size of fewer than 200 employees

Businesses interested in the programme can register their interest at https://www.singtel.com/business/smb/solutions/ICT/ai-dea

*Singapore Digital Economy Report (SGDE) 2025

International SOS calls for innovation in crisis management

International SOS, the global security and health risk management company, has unveiled a global guide to help organisations navigate the complexities of modern crises.

The paper, Building a Responsive and Effective Crisis Management Programme and an accompanying webcast emphasise the importance of moving beyond traditional crisis response to adopt innovative strategies.

Giles Hill, Global Head of Security Services at International SOS said: "Crises, though inherently disruptive, serve as powerful crucibles for greater resilience and innovation. They expose latent vulnerabilities, sharpen decision-making and compel organisations to think about agility – an essential capability in a volatile world. They are a brutally honest appraisal of an organisation’s strategy and culture.

"Leaders and organisations that embrace crisis as a catalyst – not just as a threat – emerge stronger, with more agile systems, clearer priorities and greater competitive advantage, ensuring their organisations not only survive but thrive in the face of adversity."

Using real-world scenarios and events, the paper demonstrates how, through informed, pragmatic, and adaptable crisis management, organisations can sustain operations and flourish, and how visionary leaders can transform their organisations into resilient entities capable of facing even the most unforeseen challenges. Based on International SOS’ 40 years of experience supporting clients and their employees through crises, the paper provides practical insights into all key aspects of best practice in dealing with today’s crises – from pre-crisis planning and post-crisis demobilisation to the critical roles of perception, strategic communication, and innovation.

Gautier Porot, Group Crisis Management Practice Leader at International SOS, emphasised the importance of the adoption of best practices across the workforce: “We have seen from recent escalations particularly how imperative it is to have robust crisis management and to encompass all eventualities.

"This paper is not just a source of information but a real call to action for all organisations, their leaders and each employee. Only by collaborating and preparing actively can crises be turned into opportunities and ensure sustainability and success.”

Highlights include:

- Pre-crisis planning: Identifying systemic risks, organising resources, and training teams to minimise potential impacts. This includes creating ad hoc teams with specific and complementary skills and developing key documents such as crisis management policies, plans, communication strategies, and guides.

Stacey Conlin, Head of Risk, Cricket Australia said: “When you look at traditional crisis and incident management, it’s often linked to very high risk-based thresholds or impacts. Once an impact hits this level, organisations then convene the crisis management team. With the growing frequency of incidents and crises, early intervention is paramount, and I’ve established and recommended that organisations set up an Early Intervention Impact Assessment team. This means that prior to an incident hitting high impact levels, we gather, assess the facts, risks, impacts, and most of the time, we are able to de-escalate the situation."

- Crisis response: Mobilising teams, controlling the situation, and resolving issues through rapid decision-making and clear communication. The paper outlines the importance of modular and agile response teams tailored to each crisis's specificities.

- Post-crisis demobilisation: Supporting teams, analysing the new ecosystem, and adapting strategies to better cope with future crises. This involves a structured approach to problem-solving, including identifying the desired end state, breaking it down into workstreams, prioritising them, and developing strategic intent and action plans.

Details

The whitepaper can be downloaded at https://www.internationalsos.com/publications/global-crisis-management-paper

Watch the webinar at https://www.internationalsos.com/events/crisis-management-webcast

Singapore SMBs stay focused on growth despite rising costs and uncertainty: Xero

 

Despite a challenging operating environment, Singapore’s small and medium businesses (SMBs) remain resilient and focused on growth through digitalisation, according to a new report by global small business platform Xero.

Polling over 500 owners and senior decision-makers from SMBs in Singapore, the report found that six in 10 (61%) have been impacted by inflation and rising costs, alongside changes in consumer demand (48%) and labour shortages (44%).

Despite this, Singapore’s SMBs continued to grow, with nearly two-thirds (63%) reporting revenue growth and 77% reporting wage increases over the past year. Nearly half (47%) increased headcount within the business, primarily to support business growth (69%). Crucially, 76% of business owners said they feel optimistic about the future.

"It’s exciting to see such strong optimism and momentum among Singapore’s SMBs, especially in a tough economic climate. Their continued investment in people and technology shows just how focused they are on building for the future,” said Koren Wines, MD, Xero Asia.

“That said, as businesses continue to scale and grow, it’s important to recognise that many still face operational barriers that can slow progress—whether it’s managing cash flow, accessing real-time financial insights, or juggling fragmented systems. Addressing these pain points and building stronger digital foundations will be key to unlocking greater efficiency, agility, and long-term success."

The report also identified common operational challenges they will need to overcome, such as strained cash flow from delayed payments.

91% of Singaporean SMBs said late payments from customers have impacted their business. When polled on typical payment timelines, nearly a fifth (18%) of businesses said they received payments from customers in an average of 31-45 days, with timelines stretching to 46-60 days for 7% of businesses surveyed. 

To increase the likelihood of timely payments, many SMBs have started strengthening credit terms (53%), charging late fees (47%), and even offering discounts to incentivise early payments (43%) in a bid to keep cash moving.

According to the research, many SMBs still struggle with establishing long-term, real-time visibility on their business’ finances. Eight in 10 (81%) Singaporean SMBs recognise the importance of customisable financial reports that contain insights that may be useful for regulatory compliance and strategic decision-making. However, around half cite a lack of real-time access to financial data (52%) and difficulty consolidating information from multiple sources (49%) as key barriers to developing them.

Source: Xero, The State of Small and Medium Businesses - Singapore 2025. Average customer repayment timeframe.

To overcome these operational challenges and support growth, Singaporean SMBs are actively using digital tools such as digital marketing platforms (56%), customer relationship management systems (54%) and cloud-based accounting or finance software (42%).

Almost all (99%) believe digital tools are essential to their business, while 82% cited digital adoption as a top or significant business priority. A further 99% said they were comfortable experimenting with or implementing new technologies, with the ability to generate better reports (51%), enhanced decision-making (46%), and automation of repetitive tasks (46%) topping the list of motivations driving adoption.

Said Wines: “Singaporean SMBs have shown a strong appetite for digitalisation—not just as a means to keep up, but as a deliberate strategy to drive growth and resilience. They increasingly understand that digital tools are not simply operational add-ons, but enablers that can transform the way they manage cash flow, streamline processes, unlock opportunities and respond to evolving market demands.”

“By adopting the right technologies, small businesses can gain deeper financial visibility, make faster, data-driven decisions, and build the agility needed to thrive amid uncertainty. This shift isn’t just about staying compliant—it’s about becoming future-ready.”

Explore

Download The State of Small and Medium Businesses - Singapore 2025 at https://brandfolder.xero.com/NE531UQB/as/3fxggcx7bk96gxs5tpxwfrh/Final_State_of_Small_and_Medium_Businesses_-_Singapore_2025

Cornerstone unveils cyber insurance for Singapore SMBs with QBE and ESET

Cornerstone, a Singapore-based independent financial advisory, has launched CyberFender, a cyber insurance solution tailored to small-to-medium businesses (SMBs) in Singapore. 

CyberFender offers insurance coverage that will help to safeguard critical business assets against malicious actors in areas like data security, business interruption, and cyber extortion. It also covers related incident response and recovery costs, providing both financial and operational protection against cyber incidents—empowering businesses to better build and maintain customer trust, Cornerstone said. 

Underwritten by QBE, a global insurer with a presence in Singapore for more than 130 years, CyberFender policyholders will also receive 24x7 cybersecurity protection through ESET Small Business Security, which is a set-and-protect solution against online threats, frauds, data theft and unwanted tracking. 

Cornerstone can guide and support SMEs throughout the process, serving as trusted advisors who simplify, facilitate, and ensure a seamless download and understanding of key information. 

SMBs make up 99% of all enterprises in Singapore and are responsible for nearly half of the nation’s GDP. As they embrace digital transformation, robust cybersecurity measures are essential to maintain customer trust and ensure a resilient business environment. Cyber insurance has emerged as a vital safety net, helping SMBs to mitigate the financial risks of cyber incidents while reinforcing confidence in data security.

ESET’s APAC SMB Cybersecurity Report 2024 found that 73% of Asia Pacific (APAC) SMBs experienced cybersecurity incidents last year—with one out of four incidents related to ransomware, while Cyber Security Agency of Singapore (CSA) findings from 2024 estimated that eight in 10 organisations in Singapore encountered a cybersecurity incident in a year, with half encountering it several times a year. 

QBE Singapore’s small- and medium-sized enterprise (SME) survey further showed that the percentage of businesses that do not have any processes or protection against cyber risks rose to 19% in 2024, from 9% in 2023.

“At Cornerstone, we recognise that recovery from cyberattacks can be costly and challenging for SMBs. This is why we partnered with QBE and ESET to deliver robust, easy-to-use cyberdefence solutions to our policyholders through CyberFender,” said Leonard Tan, MD, Cornerstone.

“No industry is insulated from cyberthreats, regardless of company size. As technology evolves, it’s creating both new opportunities and new risks, further expanding the digital attack surface. Together with Cornerstone and ESET, we are delighted to be a part of the CyberFender offering, which is well suited to address SMBs’ needs when it comes to the current cyber risk landscape,” said Ronak Shah, CEO, QBE Singapore.

“ESET is committed to empowering SMBs with the right tools to proactively protect their businesses from cyber threats, including ransomware. By adopting a prevention-first approach, business owners can effectively safeguard their organisations from the risk of cyberattacks and disruption. We are honoured that Cornerstone and QBE have chosen to work with ESET; it is a testament to our commitment to ensure businesses of all sizes are safeguarded in an ever-evolving threat landscape,” said Parvinder Walia, ESET President for Asia Pacific and Japan.

CyberFender is available in Singapore through Cornerstone's financial advisors.

APAC SMEs have embraced remote work: SAP

SAP has unveiled findings for Digital Resilient, and Experience-driven: How Small and Midsize Organisations Can Prepare for the New Economy, a study* that highlights how small and mid-sized enterprises (SMEs) in Asia-Pacific (APAC) are uniquely positioned to adapt and thrive in the dynamic and distributed post-COVID-19 business environment.

Conducted in collaboration with Oxford Economics, the study also delved into the priorities, challenges, and digital maturity of SMEs in the Americas, Europe, and APAC. A section detailing answers from 240 respondents on the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic was also added to the survey mid-fieldwork.

According to the 240 that responded to the series of COVID-19 questions, APAC SMEs are well-positioned to adapt to a remote working environment by taking swift actions to implement and adjust remote work arrangements for employees in response to the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic. Seventy-seven percent reported that they adjusted remote work arrangements for employees in response to COVID-19, as compared to lower numbers from Europe (75% of respondents) and the Americas (71%).

Additionally, 61% of APAC SMEs surveyed created remote work setups for employees during this period, while 69% invested in IT and collaboration solutions to support remote access and/or online learning. Interestingly, 10% of APAC SMEs reported that the pandemic has no impact on their ability to accommodate remote work and maintain employee productivity.

On top of supporting business continuity during this period, many APAC SMEs are also actively exploring new channels to get their products and services to customers (66%, vs. 64% in the Americas and 59% in Europe) and developing new products and service offerings (46%, vs. 40% in the Americas and 49% in Europe).

Singapore respondents said that their top reactions to COVID-19 were:

- Adjusted remote work arrangements for employees (73%) and invested in IT and collaboration solutions for remote access or/and online learning (73%)

- Explored new channels to get product/service offerings to customers (68%) and explored new ways to meet supply chain demands (68%)

The most impacted areas of business operations and strategies for Singapore organisations, defined as 'significant impact' or 'completely restructure operations/strategies', included:

- Ability to meet customer demands (55%) and ability to win new business (55%)

- Ability to operate at full capacity (45%)

Conversely, the business operations and strategies which saw 'minimal effect' or 'moderate effect' in Singapore included:

- Ability to accommodate remote work and maintain employee productivity (55%). COVID-19 did not affect the remote working abilities of 14% of SMEs in Singapore.

- Ability to manage cash flow and liquidity (45%)

Before COVID-19, Singapore SMEs had said their top strategic priority over the next three years was: 

- Growth (43%)

- Customer experience (38%), an ideal experience being defined as high-quality products and/or services (77%) and competitive pricing (74%)

Their challenges pre-COVID include:

- Lack of coordination between different departments (32%)

- Upskilling/reskilling their current workforce (31%)

- Competition from larger organisations (46%)

- Keeping up with changing customer wants and needs (42%)

A further 46% in Singapore said data storage, collection and analysis would be a problem as they grow.

“SMEs across the region—like their counterparts around the world—have certain advantages over larger competitors in terms of agility and closeness to the customer,” said Edward Cone, Editorial Director of Thought Leadership and Technology Practice Lead at Oxford Economics.

“Yet even before the pandemic, SMEs in APAC also faced meaningful challenges in keeping up the pace of digital transformation.”

Lastly, it was revealed that COVID-19 has significantly impacted APAC SMEs’ ability to compete with larger companies within the same industry, with 45% of APAC SMEs reporting that the pandemic has had a significant effect on their operations and strategies in this area. COVID-19 has also affected the ability to operate at full capacity (45%), the ability of the supply chains to keep up with demands (40%), and the ability to keep existing customers (40%). Some respondents reported that they had to completely restructure business strategy and operations in these areas to mitigate the impact of the pandemic.

Prior to the COVID-19 outbreak, SMEs in the region reported being optimistic about their long-term prospects. Many APAC SMEs expect that over the next three years, their market share (62%), budget/revenue (76%), number of full-time employees (59%), and profitability (78%) will increase 'somewhat' or 'substantially'.

Looking ahead to the next three years, APAC SMEs are prioritising improving the customer experience (40%), growth (38%) and attracting new customers (28%). APAC SMEs believe that the key to providing high-quality customer experience lies in high-quality products and/or services (70%), fast and convenient delivery (64%) and competitive pricing (62%), with the customer-service business function bearing the most responsibility for delivering those experiences (cited by 70% of APAC respondents).

Upgrading analytics on customer data is viewed as a go-to strategy to improving customer experience: 28% already have done this across the organisation, and 52% have started to.

With technology set to play an increasingly critical role in helping APAC SMEs achieve business success in the new digital environment, the study also took a closer look at digital maturity levels of these businesses across the region.

APAC SMEs say they have made moderate progress toward digital transformation (39%), and 21% have made substantial progress or completely transformed; within three years, 19% expect to have completely transformed. Their biggest IT functions challenges as the organisation grows are 24x7 service availability (55%) and cybersecurity (51%).

In terms of technological adoption, HR/talent management software is furthest along (66%), followed by governance and cybersecurity software (63%), then finance and risk management software (59%). Respondents reported that these technologies are either in use in some applications/projects or are already in use at scale.

Mobile devices and mobile business process enablement, and business management solutions (enterprise resource planning or ERP software) share the top spot in terms of pilot implementation, and APAC SMEs are actively considering emerging technologies, artificial intelligence/machine learning (AI/ML) and the Internet of Things (IoT) as their main investment priorities. 
 
When it comes to automation investment, the majority of SMEs are already using automation in some applications/projects (36%). The top business functions that see major or substantial investment in terms of automation and digital processes in APAC are:

- Customer service (56%)

- Enterprise management/operations (48%)

APAC SMEs further consider the top benefits of automation and digital technologies to be:

- Increasing process efficiency by reducing error, risk and cost (44%)

- Increasing productivity through transformation and intelligence process automation (43%)

The road to success does, however, bring challenges, SAP said. Today, APAC SMEs consider the upskilling/reskilling of the current workforce (30%), lack of coordination between different departments (29%), and inability to gain insights from data (28%) as key internal challenges.

In terms of external challenges, APAC SMEs cite changing customer wants and needs (40%), competition from larger organisations (39%), and adapting to a rapidly-changing marketplace (27%) as obstacles to their business success.

Source: SAP. Andresen.

“Today’s new normal requires businesses to pivot and adapt with speed. SMEs in the region seem to understand that the sense of urgency to digitally transform their businesses will give them an advantage through the pandemic and beyond,” said Claus Andresen, SVP & Head of General Business (SME) and Emerging Markets Growth, Asia Pacific & Japan.

“With the adoption of an intelligent enterprise strategy, SMEs can establish a digital core that will power the entire organisation, embedding data-driven insights and decision-making processes across the business. This is crucial in enabling business agility, further strengthening the ability of SMEs to adapt to dynamic market conditions.”

“I am confident SMEs in the region will be able to emerge stronger, having forged closer bonds with customers and employees while developing innovative services and products that will put them on a strong growth trajectory as the world economy recovers,” he concluded.

Three tips from SAP to help SMEs thrive in the new normal are:
Organise for agility

Coordination across the business—facilitated by rapid communication and information-sharing—can help SMEs respond to challenges quickly and effectively.

Put people at the centre

Business processes, organisational structures, and digital investments should all support customer and employee engagement, whether through real-time insight into wants and needs, or innovations that improve convenience and quality.

Become data-driven

Analytics for decision-making can transform every aspect of operations, from insights that affect supply-chain sourcing to alerts that support predictive maintenance after sales.

SAP aims to help every business run as an intelligent enterprise with its enterprise application software leveraging machine learning, Internet of Things (IoT), and advanced analytics technologies. Seventy-seven percent of the world’s transaction revenue touches an SAP system.

*Oxford Economics and SAP surveyed 2,000 senior executives from small and midsize organisations across 19 countries and industries. Each respondent organisation in our survey reported annual revenues or budgets ranging from under US$10 million to US$1 billion, as well as employee headcounts below 1,000. In India, some respondents employ more than 2,000 employees. 

Of the 2,000 respondents, 832 respondents were from APAC, in the following markets: Australia, China, India, Japan, New Zealand, Philippines, Singapore, and South Korea. 

The survey was administered via a mix of computer-assisted telephone interviewing and online links between February 27 and April 30, 2020.

APAC SMBs optimistic about recovery after COVID

- HP study says Asia-Pacific (APAC) small and medium-sized business (SMB) owners remain optimistic

- Bouncing back will require innovation in work processes, flexible work options and customised products and services

- Indonesia, India, Vietnam, Australia, and Thailand SMBs are the most confident of their ability to be innovative

HP Inc.’s latest study* on SMBs in Asia-Pacific, Survival to Revival, revealed that over 50% of SMB owners expect not just to survive but thrive following the pandemic, and feel that digital transformation will be a key part of this revival.

Some 60% of respondents see digital transformation as key with innovation in work processes, flexible work options and customised products and services identified as future strategies. However, cost-effective solutions are required given that cashflow remains top of mind and SMBs are unclear where to look, or even what suitable solutions are available. This is especially key where only four in 10 SMBs have a department or person responsible for innovation.

Specifically:

• Fifty-three percent of SMBs in Asia expect to thrive post-pandemic and 60% see digital transformation key to success

• SMB respondents in Indonesia, India, Vietnam, Australia, and Thailand are the most confident of their company’s ability to be innovative and see digital adoption as a key strategy

Indonesia sees the importance of digital to business success, with 74% of Indonesian respondents ranking it as 'essential' or 'very important' against regional average of 59% (India 75%; Vietnam 60%; Australia 58%; Thailand 75%)

• Japan, South Korea, and Singapore are more conservative about their predictions for the future, possibly based on the global nature of their economies. Japan sees the importance of digital to business success with 34% of Japanese respondents ranking it as 'essential' or 'very important' against regional average of 59%; (South Korea 43%; Singapore 50%)

That said, respondents also identified barriers to success. Forty-five percent cited global instability post-pandemic as a key concern due to the uncertainty and inability to plan for the future. Besides global instability, the top three barriers to success are cash flow (28%), the need for adequate marketing and recruitment.

“SMBs are the lifeblood of every economy in Asia but the pandemic has hit SMBs hard. As the engines of growth for Asia economies, it is critical for them to move past survival to revive their businesses,” said Ng Tian Chong, MD, Greater Asia at HP.

“This study provides us with the insights to provide practical help for SMBs so that they have access to an ecosystem of devices, tools and technology. With these resources, we want to help SMBs unlock innovation for customer and employee-centric experiences, as well as broadly upskill talent to rebound from the pandemic and prepare for the future.”

Source: HP. Infographic showing the Asian and Singapore figures for the Survival to Revival survey.

Completed in June 2020, the study surveyed SMBs across Australia, India, Indonesia, Japan, South Korea, Singapore, Thailand, and Vietnam and found:

• SMB owners understand that bouncing back post-pandemic will require them to lean on innovation in how they work, flexible work options and customisation of products and services. The top aspects to help them best bounce back are:

- Workstyle innovations (27%),

- Flexible work options (26%),

- Innovation in products and services (25%),

- Better use of digital tools available (23%) and

- Digitalising processes (19%).

• Companies most confident of bouncing back place high importance on digital adoption

Across the region, nearly 60% view digital adoption as very important or essential. Indonesian SMBs are particularly sensitive to this need, with a full 74% believing it is essential or very important, as are Thai SMBs, also at 65%.

• Growth projections have been significantly adjusted post-pandemic.

Across the region, 46% of SMBs were expecting growth prior to the pandemic but that figure has dropped to just 16%. India and Vietnam are the most confident about post-pandemic growth and Singapore, Japan and South Korea are least positive.

• Disruption to productivity is a common experience during COVID.

Only 6% of SMBs recorded higher levels of workplace productivity compared to the pre-COVID period while 43% recorded lower productivity.

• Skills is an issue.

The pandemic amplified the lack of digital-first mindsets and skills within existing SMBs that hamper growth, affecting nearly half (44%) of respondents.

SMBs are looking for the magic hire, preferring to hire people who can fulfil multiple duties to optimise productivity. In this context, hiring and recruitment is incredibly difficult as the SMB is trying to find someone with a broad range of skills from a narrow pool of candidates. This is particularly an issue in Japan, Thailand and Vietnam where recruitment is one of the top three barriers to success. The education, financial services and healthcare verticals also cite recruitment as one of the top three barriers to success.

• SMBs are unclear on where to look for assistance.

Financial institutions, especially, rank high (31%); 60% of SMBs consider government support to be insufficient and/or are unclear on what support is available; only 19% of respondents turn to IT companies for help.

Underpinning all of this is a need to identify digital talents who can help SMBs to transform the business. The majority of SMBs do not dedicate resources and/or invest in innovation as a discipline; it is more common to ask customers what they want, or simply mirror what the competition is offering.

Further:

- Only four in 10 have a team or individual responsible for developing new products and service.

- One in five work with external specialists or consultants to foster innovation.

- One in five SMBs have customised offerings, looked for new sales and supply-chain channels, or introduced new lines of business. 

Indonesia (59%) and Thailand (51%) stand out for having the highest percentage of SMBs dedicating resources to innovation. Unsurprisingly, SMBs in Indonesia and Thailand are also the most confident about business performance post-COVID.

Over half (54%) of SMBs see the pandemic as an opportunity to reformulate their business despite less bullish growth, with only 16% expecting growth post-COVID in 2021. To bounce back quickly from the pandemic, SMBs expect to increase usage of online meeting and digital tools and to migrate more processes to digital. Resources that can provide practical help on how to leverage digital technology to unlock innovation are a priority for rebounding from the pandemic most effectively, they said.

In response, HP is introducing integrated services-based print solutions, including an HP Roam for Business bundle, to make it easy to print on the go. Another solution for SMBs is the enhanced HP SecurePrint, a flexible, cloud-native solution that releases documents only to authorised users.

To support SMBs in adapting to new agile working environments, HP has introduced a suite of integrated services-based print solutions. HP is now offering a one-year license for HP Roam for Business with a compatible HP LaserJet Pro 400-series bought by 31 October 2020, making it easy to print on the go from a mobile device and to retrieve the job in a contactless manner at any HP Roam-enabled printer within the company network.

In addition, HP has enhanced HP SecurePrint, which now supports all network types, including traditional networks behind a firewall as well as serverless print environments, helping customers simplify IT infrastructures. To empower workers the HP Workpath ecosystem,which enables workers to connect to cloud-based platforms directly from the multifunction printers (MFP)**, has expanded rapidly since it launched in November 2019, with 100+ apps available on the platform and thousands of apps deployed.

To meet the demands of the SMB worker’s multitask, multiplace workday, HP PCs are designed to enable them to work anywhere. To ensure SMBs get ease of mind when working anywhere, HP is offering Sure Click Pro for free to all HP and non-HP Windows customers till September 30, 2020. HP Sure Click technology guards against malware, ransomware, and viruses embedded in email attachments or malicious websites.

HP is making it easy for SMBs to get their hands on the latest technology. Through initiatives like HP For Business in Thailand, HP has tailored a monthly subscription programme that includes powerful devices with trusted security and 24x7 technical support. The programme helps relieve financial pressures on entrepreneurs in the short term and takes care of their IT management needs.

Further, the HP LIFE programme offers free online self-paced training courses designed to help entrepreneurs and SMBs acquire new skills to grow their business, such as business communications, having a success mindset, social media marketing, and design thinking.

Explore:

Learn more about research highlights.

*The survey covered 1,600 SMBs which completed the survey between 26 May 2020 and 7 June 2020. The results comprise 200 interviews in Australia, India, Indonesia, Japan, South Korea, Singapore, Thailand, and Vietnam. Only an owner, partner, MD, CEO, COO, CFO, or a Director of a business with fewer than 200 employees qualified for the survey. 

Interviews were split evenly between micro business (<10 employees), small business (10-49 employees), and medium business (50-199 employees). 

Multiple industries were represented, including retail/wholesale, manufacturing, professional services, healthcare, education and financial services. 

**Multifunction printers do more than just printing. Typically they will also scan and copy documents.

Singapore fintech aims to offer better B2B lending terms

Singapore-based startup Cash-IN-Asia has launched its business-to-business (B2B) fintech lending platform. Its approach to provide a 100% digital experience allows business owners to obtain financing from their mobile device.

Cash-IN-Asia plans to serve micro, small and medium enterprises (MSMEs) in Singapore with products that not only address existing needs, but also assist these key members of Singapore’s economy to realise their business potential well after the crisis is over.

Its ISO27001-certified platform is powered by artificial intelligence (AI) and data analytics, and aims to provide a one-stop solution for transparent and flexible financing to MSMEs. By using AI and analytics in their credit decision and fraud detection engine, Cash-IN-Asia combines conventional risk assessment methods with alternative data and behavioural analysis for quicker and more accurate processing.

Two types of financing are offered: credit line and term loan. Amounts start at S$3,000 for a credit line to a maximum of S$150,000 for a term loan. Term loan tenures range from six months to three years, with no pre-payment penalties.

The platform requires a three-minute application, and promises an outcome in less than three hours. Successful applicants can request their approved funds to be disbursed in the next three hours. The time-to-cash process is one of the fastest amongst Singapore-based lenders today, the company said.

According to Cash-IN-Asia, studies* reveal that a significant percentage of small businesses in Singapore tend to be self-funded by business owners who may turn to their personal credit cards when difficulties arise. Credit card interest is high, and robs businesses of the opportunity to build their corporate credit history.

To offer a better alternative, Cash-IN-Asia prices financing rates lower than those of credit cards. The rates start at 20% for a credit line and 18% for a term loan. Cash-IN-Asia also structures its products to incentivise MSMEs to build a credit history that ultimately rewards good customers with cheaper financing over time.

Said founder and CEO, Eldwin Wong: “Our initial rate may be 20%, but the final rate they are charged eventually depends on them. If our clients perform well, confidence rises and trust is built. Our rates then come down, which is one of our unique value propositions for clients.”

Cash-IN-Asia also employs a “don’t use, don’t pay” model for its products. Sign up and application is free, and upon approval, clients are granted a credit facility with no fees or obligations. This is unlike other lenders that may impose a recurring facility fee.

The treatment of delinquent loans is another example of how the lender approaches things differently. The common practice with most traditional lenders is to declare these loans “in default” and resort to legal proceedings. Cash-IN-Asia prefers to work towards long-term “win-win” relationships instead. Troubled clients are given the opportunity to restructure their loans on acceptable terms that will help restore their businesses to health and service their loans.

Wong elaborates: “We believe in helping small business owners with their cashflow. That way, they get to focus more on their business and their chances of doing well increases. In turn, we will be able to scale up their loans and do more for them. One example of that is an automatic review of all client accounts every two months, to raise the credit limits of those in good standing for future growth.”

Cash-IN-Asia is the first B2B fintech lending company in Singapore to attain the ISO 27001 certification for information security. The certification allows it to meet diverse challenges of operating in the digital economy with high standards of business protocols and data integrity.

*Bain & Co, Fulfilling its Promise – The future of Southeast Asia’s digital financial services, 2019; and Deloitte Southeast Asia, Digital banking for small and medium-sized enterprises, 2015.

SPRING Singapore takes stock of 2016 achievements

SPRING Singapore, the agency under the Ministry of Trade and Industry charged with helping Singapore enterprises grow, has reported that over 16,000 companies boosted their capabilities in 2016 despite a slowing economy.

The projects were supported through the Singapore government's Capability Development Grant (CDG) and Innovation & Capability Voucher (ICV) schemes, SPRING said, and anticipated to generate S$7.8 billion in value plus about 21,400 skilled jobs when they are completed. These figures represent increases of 13% and 43% over 2015 respectively.

A total of 16,300 enterprises began some 16,700 projects of which 2,400 were supported through CDG. This is almost twice the number of projects supported through CDG in 2015 and is the highest number of CDG projects supported over the last five years.

Other initiatives that SPRING worked on in 2016 included Industry Transformation Maps (ITMs) for the retail, food services and food manufacturing sectors, as well as for logistics and precision engineering. ITMs foster innovation and productivity, help to drive business growth, and support internationalisation. The ITMs also address the reskilling and upskilling of workers to take on the skilled jobs that are created.

"Our businesses are committed to this as well as upgrading their overall HR capabilities, with about 270 small and medium sized enterprises (SMEs) having used the HR Diagnostic Tool to diagnose gaps in their HR policies and practices," SPRING shared in a statement. Singapore SMEs started on 920 human capital-related projects, including to strengthen core HR functions like compensation and benefits, performance management, as well as recruitment and selection.

SPRING is also investing in building a vibrant and conducive ecosystem to enable startups to grow. In May 2016, seven sector-specific accelerators were appointed to incubate and/or co-invest in high-potential startups in the advanced manufacturing and engineering (AME) and clean technology (cleantech) sectors.

Financing, a key concern for local high-growth enterprises and startups, saw a new alternative option to support expansion with the Venture Debt Programme (VDP) in April 2016. Launched by SPRING in collaboration with participating financial institutions (PFIs), the programme has hosted 13 companies from emerging sectors such as AME, cleantech and biomedicine.

In 2016, the SME Working Capital Loan was also launched to provide debt financing support for SMEs through PFIs to support their growth and restructuring needs. So far, 4,300 companies have had their applications for the loan approved. 

SPRING further supported 42 more startups in getting third-party financing. SPRING SEEDS Capital, the investment arm of SPRING, co-invested S$10.2 million in 16 early-stage companies, catalysing private investments of S$26 million.

On the quality & standards (Q&S) front, SPRING launched two world’s-first standards in 2016, for remote vital signs monitoring, for smart health, and for bunker mass flow metering, which facilitates marine fuel oil deliveries. A last mile delivery standard was also introduced to support e-commerce retailers and logistics players.

Another key development was SPRING's appointment as the administering agency of the amended Consumer Protection (Fair Trading) Act. The amendments provide SPRING with investigative and enforcement powers to take timely action against errant retailers, with the aim of better safeguarding consumers’ interests and ensuring Singapore remains an attractive retail and business destination. 

SPRING continually invests in efforts to deepen collaborations with industry partners. Last year, the agency introduced the Local Enterprise and Association (LEAD)+ Programme, aimed at raising the competencies of trade associations and chambers (TACs) to enable them to play a bigger role in driving sector transformation. To date, five TACs are on board with LEAD+ and are receiving support in areas such as strengthening leadership and secretariat capabilities, developing knowledge management systems, and driving the adoption of business solutions.

In 2017, SPRING shared that it will focus on the implementation of ITM strategies. At the same time, the organisation will scale up promising SMEs, strengthen Singapore’s position as a startup hub and enhance the business ecosystem to support enterprise growth. Chief Executive of SPRING Poon Hong Yuen said, “The success of local enterprises is critical to Singapore’s economy. Together with our partners, SPRING is committed to supporting enterprises to grow and to upgrade their capabilities.”

Back up Office 365 emails with new Dropsuite cloud solution

Small and medium sized enterprises (SMEs) can take advantage of Dropsuite's Microsoft Office 365 (O365) Email Backup & Archiving solution via resellers such as Australia-based Ozhosting and Singapore-based ICONZ-Webvisions.

Dropsuite CEO Charif Elansari said: “At Dropsuite, our engineering-first culture is all about designing intuitive solutions that can be easily purchased and used by SMEs.”

CEO of Ozhosting Doug Endersbee said: “We’re delighted to be able to offer our customers Dropsuite’s O365 Email Backup & Archiving, a comprehensive email archiving service to a ‘legal hold’ standard.

“Many of the businesses we serve are professional services such as lawyers, accountants, health, architects, and every email has the potential to contain advice or a commitment that is legally binding and must be permanently retained - these businesses need the ability to protect themselves from inadvertent or malicious deletion of emails.

“A solution that is easily deployed, completely independent and isolated from the email platform, connected in real time to capture every file, and simple to search is just what our customers need.”

Microsoft Office 365 has over 60 million monthly active commercial users, and  50,000 small businesses added every month, according to Microsoft as of Q116.

Canon introduces FleetnexG cloud-based logistics for SMEs

Canon Singapore has introduced FleetnexG, a cloud-based logistics solution that equips businesses with real-time data for tracking delivery and automated scheduling. The solution is designed for small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) for whom scheduling, delivery of goods, and documentation for compliance are part of their core business operations.

“For SMEs to succeed today, they must look beyond simply fulfilling orders in a timely fashion, to optimising resources for greater efficiency and productivity,” said Vincent Low, Director & General Manager of Business Imaging Solutions, Canon Singapore. “FleetnexG combines Canon’s knowhow in document imaging technology with a robust cloud-based software to address the challenges faced by these businesses in tracking and managing resources, enabling them to harness the benefits of real-time data without the daunting costs of implementation.”

Smarter processes

FleetnexG is fully compatible with Canon’s range of multifunctional devices. Business owners can choose among proof of delivery, scheduling and fleet management system, mobile delivery note, or a combination of two services to increase efficiency.

With this solution, documentation and processes are digitised. As a result, businesses reduce the possibility of misplacing proof of delivery documents, and negates the need to match those documents against delivery orders, a process that typically takes two to three business days. This shortens the order fulfilment cycle, enabling the business to be more efficient in payment processing.

Real-time insights

Without the tools to access automation, business owners often resort to time-consuming processes such as manual documentation, which may be prone to inaccuracies. Additionally, the lack of insights derived from real-time data may result in inefficiencies in the form of unnecessary delivery trips, fuel expense, and manpower.

With FleetnexG, business owners can access an automated streamlined work process to identify and optimise areas along the process flow, redeploying employees for higher value work. At the same time, real-time data offers end-to-end tracking and higher accountability to clients.

Use cases can include:

Proof of Delivery

· Real-time status updates to track delivery and return of goods.
· Quick and easy organisation of data, saving administration staff the time to match the delivery order to the proof of delivery documents.
· Easy retrieval of digitised documents and saves administrative staff the hassle of manual filing.

E-signatures or mobile delivery notes

· Delivery orders can be signed using a wide variety of smart devices and the proof of delivery is transmitted as real-time data.
· Documents can be digitalised for easy retrieval.
· Faster billing upon fulfilment of orders.

Scheduling & fleet management system

· System optimises vehicle inventory and scheduling to reduce fuel costs and manpower.
· Reduce administrative burden by automating and generating operational reports.

FleetnexG is developed in conjunction with TPS Asia Pacific and exclusively distributed in Singapore by Canon Singapore.

posted from Bloggeroid

Philippine MSMEs asked to embrace e-commerce

The Department of Trade and Industry of the Philippines is urging the micro, small and medium sized enterprises (MSMEs) to venture into e-commerce to expand market reach.

E-commerce is a means to “connect domestic industry with the global economy” said Trade and Industry Undersecretary Prudencio Reyes, Jr. The Philippine E-Commerce Outlook 2018 projects that the e-commerce industry will grow by 101.4% by 2018, up from US$1.15 billion in 2013.

The country’s growing Internet population with an estimated growth of 530% over the past five years is significant component to the e-commerce industry. Out of the country’s 101.1 million population, 44% are active Internet users, 42% are active social media users, 113% have mobile connections; and 36% are active mobile users.

Philippine e-commerce sales reached Php79 billion or 0.6% of the country’s total income in 2012. More than 76.2% or Php 60.17 billion was contributed to the services sector, which includes transport and storage, administrative and support service activities, and wholesale retail trade.

The National Capital Region ranks first in terms of e-commerce sales at Php62.31 billion, followed by the Central Visayas and Western Visayas.

Janette Toral, founder of Digital Filipino, said MSMEs are stakeholders in the Philippine E-Commerce Roadmap (PECR; PDF). "Your participation makes you a party/stakeholder to this roadmap, it is a document all of us to own as public and private sectors” she said.

PECR 2016-2020 is a blueprint to address issues in the country’s e-commerce ecosystem with '6Is' being key focus areas as highlighted in the APEC Digital Prosperity Checklist (doc):

Infrastructure: The need for an appropriate supply chain, communications, and applications infrastructure; 

Investment: The ability to promote and support a range of investment opportunities from foreign direct investments to capital flows; 

Innovation: The ability to foster and support innovation, including the ability to protect innovation and investment in research and development; 

Intellectual capital: The ability to foster the appropriate skills and training from technological to linguistic to entrepreneurship; 

Information flows: The ability to use, transfer, and process information — the currency of the digital economy — while promoting privacy and a trusted Internet environment; and 

Integration: The ability to connect domestic industries with the global economy. 

MSMEs in the Philippines crucial to economic success

Senator Loren Legarda of the Philippines has underscored the role that micro, small and medium enterprises (MSMEs) play in generating jobs throughout the country, especially in poor municipalities.

Legarda, principal author of the Magna Carta for MSMEs, issued the statement following results of an online survey conducted by the Department of Labor and Employment (DOLE) and JobStreet.com Philippines, showing that three out of four locally employed Filipinos would accept jobs in their home region rather than work in another part of the country.

"I am glad that most of our kababayans (fellow Filipino) prefer working in their hometowns than move elsewhere in the country like Metro Manila, hoping to have better lives. This only indicates that Metro Manila is not the only place in the country where there's a multitude of job opportunities as more Filipino MSMEs participate on economic trade resulting to more jobs," Legarda said.

She added, "We need to sustain our gains by strengthening our MSME programmes because aside from generating employment opportunities and better incomes, MSMEs are powerful platforms for promotion of viable rural livelihoods, cultural preservation, socioeconomic empowerment of indigenous peoples, and environmental protection."

Legarda also called on the government to strengthen the country's MSME programme in the Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (ARMM), which registered the highest number of residents who would rather find jobs outside of their hometowns, with only one out of three willing to stay and work locally, in order to spur economic growth particularly in the grassroots level.

The Senator also pushed for the promotion of green jobs and green skills in the country, noting that other nations encourage their people to engage in management in agriculture, forestry, horticulture, environmental information technology, and other careers that contribute to environmental preservation. All these efforts would complement our existing job generation strategies, she said.

Republic Act No. 9501, otherwise known as the Magna Carta for Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises, targets countryside industrialisation through the following: intensifying and expanding programs for training in entrepreneurship and for skills development for labor; facilitating access of MSMEs to sources of funds; assuring them access to a fair share of government contracts and related incentives and preferences; complementing and supplementing financing programmes for MSMEs and doing away with burdensome collateral requirements that small entrepreneurs find difficulty in complying with; instituting safeguards for the protection and stability of the credit delivery system; promoting linkage between large and small enterprises by encouraging the establishment of common service facilities; making the private sector a partner in the task of building up MSMEs through the promotion and participation of private voluntary organisations, viable industry associations and cooperatives; and establishing a feedback, grievance and evaluation mechanism.

HPE lowers threshold to entry storage portfolio

Hewlett Packard Enterprise (HPE) recently announced enhancements to its entry storage portfolio to help customers with limited budgets harness content and accelerate applications. The new HPE MSA Storage options enable the most affordable dual-controller hybrid flash array from a major vendor¹ while the new HPE StoreEasy 1650 Expanded transforms the economics of storing large volumes of information.

The ability to quickly and efficiently harness the value of information is critical for success. “In today’s economy, agility and speed are critical to stay competitive, regardless of business size,” said Manish Goel, Senior Vice President and General Manager for Storage, HPE. “That’s why Hewlett Packard Enterprise is bringing enterprise storage scale and performance within reach of customers who have even the most constrained budgets.”

Hybrid flash performance for 45% less²

HPE has enhanced its HPE MSA Storage family to include solid state drive (SSD, also called flash) support for the HPE MSA 1040. This expanded support for SSDs results in new hybrid flash configurations starting at under US$8,500³. SSDs have the advantage of requiring less power and space while offering better performance than traditional mechanical hard drives. Both the MSA 1040 and 2040 can now take advantage of flash media. These new SSDs deliver hybrid flash acceleration at prices that are 30% lower⁴ for the same capacity point, putting higher performance and latency reduction within reach of more businesses.

The enhanced HPE MSA 1040 can:

· Boost storage efficiency with advanced storage virtualisation capabilities such as thin provisioning, enhanced snapshot services, wide-striping, and flash-based acceleration.

· Make read caching 70% faster and performance tiering 90% faster for an incremental investment in SSD capacity that costs from US$1,599⁵

· Up to 75% lower storage costs by taking advantage of MSA’s archive tiering capabilities, which automatically place data in the appropriate storage tier - data that is required the most often is stored in more expensive, faster storage, while data that is rarely required is stored in cheaper storage with longer retrieval times⁶.

Network-attached storage (NAS) at 41% lower cost, in 80% less space⁷

For customers who need an affordable solution for bulk and secondary file storage, the HPE StoreEasy 1650 Expanded NAS appliance accommodates 28 large form factor (LFF) drives for up to 224 TB of internal capacity in the 2U form factor, making it the most dense 2U NAS appliance on the market⁸. This scalable solution enables customers to store unstructured data at 41% lower cost in 80% less space with 82% fewer components than the equivalent NetApp FAS system⁹.

This new addition provides rapid configuration tools, storage provisioning templates, and a centralised monitoring dashboard to simplify management. The system features many layers of security—including drive, file system, and data-in-flight encryption—as well as sophisticated data access policies based on automatic file classification. The StoreEasy solution also provides secure anywhere sync-and-share support for Apple iOS and Microsoft Windows devices.

Interested?¹⁰

The HPE StoreEasy 1650 Expanded and the HPE MSA 1040 are part of the HPE Just Right IT portfolio and are available through the HPE Small Business Marketplace. The new MSA SSD drives are currently available at the following prices and capacity points: 400GB for US$1,200; 800GB for US$2,278; 1.6TB for US$4,300; 3.2TB for US$7,500.

SSDs on the MSA 1040 are supported via firmware update GL220, which is posted on hpe.com and free of charge to customers on warranty or a current service contract. The MSA 1040 Advanced Virtualization Upgrade license is priced at US$384 as of February 15, 2016.

The StoreEasy 1650 Expanded starts at US$14,720 with 32TB of capacity.

¹Based on published US List pricing from Dell, EMC, IBM, HPE and Network Appliance, January 2016.

²Cost reduction is based on US list price for MSA 2040 SAN small form factor (SFF) array with 4 x 1GbE iSCSI small form factor pluggables (SFPs)  and 2 x 200 GB SSDs (US$14,768) as compared to the US Smart Buy list price for 1GbE iSCSI MSA 1040 SFF array with 2 x 200 GB SSDs and MSA 1040 Advanced Virtualization upgrade (US$8,038).

³Based on publicly available US list Smart Buy price for 1.4TB, 1GbE iSCSI MSA 1040 SFF array with one 200 GB SSD, four 300GB 10k (10,000 revolutions per minute) HDDs and MSA 1040 Advanced Virtualization upgrade, totaling US$7,817.

⁴Based on US list prices for 400GB SSD at US$2,220 (previously US$3,099), 800GB SSD at US$4,219 (previously US$5,999), 1.6TB SSD at US$7,979 (previously US$10,969).     

⁵Based on US list price for a single 200 GB SSD and a series of workload tests performed by Demartek in coordination with Read Cache and MSA Performance R/W Tiering functionality. Full reports can be found at the Demartek website under the following links – Exchange, SQL, Mixed Virtualized Workloads.

⁶Expressed as cost per gigabyte for storage moved to the Archive Tier and based on HPE internal testing using Archive Tiering capabilities to store infrequently accessed data from Enterprise SAS (10k/15k) drives to Midline SAS (7.2k) drives.

⁷Based on publicly available product information. As compared to NetApp FAS2520 with 216 TB of raw capacity.

⁸Based on HPE internal analysis of publicly available information, February 2016

⁹Based on publicly available product information. As compared to the NetApp FAS2520 with 216 TB of raw capacity.

¹⁰US list prices or publicly available US Smart Buy prices where indicated. Actual prices may vary.

Shop and donate at the same time with Happi

Source: Happi. Screenshots above from the Happi iOS app: (left) shopping categories, (centre) a sample merchant offering, (right) partner categories.

Happi, a social enterprise startup, has launched its web and mobile applications (iOS and Android) in Singapore. The company has built a community that matches sponsors, merchants and members in targeted consumer segments. Sponsors receive market intelligence, merchants enjoy direct access to members for marketing, whereas members receive tailored promotions as well as discounts on products and services.

Transactions at Happi earn 'smiles' which drive donations to a cause chosen by the member. Specifically, Happi encourages member activity with prizes and tailored promotions. Members can log in, select deals they want to win or buy, and then take a five-question survey. The completed survey enables smiles to be earned, driving a donation to the member's charity of choice, and also downloads the coupon for the deal to the member's phone, and enters them in a lucky draw to win that item. As an added incentive, members who select 10 offerings from Happi's e-shop per month get another chance to win an item on their wishlist in what Happi calls a Random Act of Happiness. Members may also purchase smiles.

Brands fund Happi as sponsors. Happi generates income from generating consumer data: completed survey responses, focus group recruitment, targeted promotions as well as data from members with specific profiles. The 90 merchants which Happi currently works with, on the other hand, pay Happi a marketing fee for sales generated. Happi in turn donates to the Happi member's chosen cause from this fee.

Happi currently features 45 teams, clubs, charities, student groups and community groups which a member can choose to fund, which the company terms 'partners'. Each member designates a partner to contribute to. Happi pays the designated partner every time there is activity from that member: S$1 for the initial signup, then S$0.10 per smile, S$10,000 for each 50,000 smiles, and S$5 for every purchase made. The company estimates that if every 1,000 active members complete just one five-question survey per day, it can drive S$144,000 annually to each partner organisation. 

Greg Lipper, Happi's Founder and Chief Happiness Officer, said, “Happi is a platform for people helping people where each participant’s small acts lead to big impacts for any cause they’re passionate about. We are especially excited to launch in Singapore, where people are so busy that they find it challenging to support the causes and groups they care about. Happi now gives people a fast, easy, free, and rewarding way to give support to the group they care about. This is a great example of how social enterprises can create huge social benefit while also being sustainable without individual financial support, and at a very grassroots level.”

Rob Pierce, co-founder of Edible Garden City (EGC), which champions the practice of growing food in underutilised urban spaces like rooftops and sidewalks, is a Happi supporter. He said, "Our partnership has made it quick and easy for both new and existing EGC followers to drive funds towards our organisation, get special offers on great products, and potentially win those products in Happi's lucky draws and Random Acts of Happiness. We will use the money Happi gives us to improve our infrastructure at the Autism Resource Centre. In addition to financial support, Happi also provides EGC free publicity, facilitates corporate sponsorships, and supports our events. All of this helps us deliver on our vision to make Singapore an Edible Garden City." 

Yong Teck Meng, National Director of Habitat for Humanity Singapore, said,”Our partnership has enabled us to reach both new and existing Habitat supporters to raise awareness and funds in our endeavour to improve the quality of life for those from disadvantaged and marginalised backgrounds. Happi gives us a vehicle to teach people about the importance of action and to support our vision to have a world where everyone has a decent place to live.” 

CaptionCube, a social enterprise that provides captioning services to convert speech into text, is also an early adopter Happi partner. Lim Jingjie, co-founder of CaptionCube said, ”Happi is a great idea because it allows people to shop and browse through interesting new products and do good at the same time! We will use the money Happi gives us to subsidise the costs of captioning services for deaf/hard of hearing students in Institutes of Higher Learning. This helps us deliver on our vision to build a more inclusive and accessible learning environment." 

Interested?

Download the app

Browse the list of over 45 Happi partners. Send email about becoming a partner to partners at happi.sg

View the list of over 90 Happi merchants. Send email about becoming a merchant to suppliers at happi.sg

That's why at Happi, we offer not only products, but services, events and more! Sign up with the promo code "IG-1" and find out about us on www.happi.sg

A photo posted by @happi.sg on Jan 3, 2016 at 10:05pm PST

Large enterprises pull back, small businesses stay upbeat for 2016 in China

While business sentiment among China's largest companies has pulled back marginally at the beginning of 2016, according to the latest MNI China Business Sentiment Survey, smaller businesses are upbeat, reports CPA Australia in separate research announced the same day.

The MNI China Business Sentiment Indicator, a gauge of current business confidence, slipped to 52.3 in January from 52.7 in December. While confidence remained in expansionary territory for the second consecutive month, it was the first month-to-month decline in sentiment since November. Firms have also revised their expectations downward for the future, with the Future Expectations Indicator down 0.9% to 52.6 in January.

The slight moderation in overall sentiment belied some improvement in other key metrics in the survey. Most notably, Production and New Orders both picked up in January, following a fall in December. Both indicators have lost some momentum through 2015 on the back of weak demand and continued spare capacity in certain sectors. Firms were relatively more upbeat about the coming quarter with both expectations indicators expanding at a faster rate.

The cumulative effect of monetary easing to date appears to be continuing to flow through, with businesses reporting that the interest rates they paid fell further in January to the lowest since March 2009, while the Availability of Credit Indicator edged a little further into expansion. Despite the easier lending environment, disinflationary pressures intensified with the Prices Received Indicator below the 50 breakeven level for the 18th straight month at 41.6 in January.

Firms have also been helped by the recent depreciation in the yuan. The January survey showed that most firms were satisfied with the impact of the exchange rate on their business operations with the Effect of the Yuan Exchange Rate Indicator rising for the second consecutive month to 53.6 in January from 52.7 in December.

The Employment Indicator fell to 49.3 in January from 50 in December. The decline was seen in both the manufacturing and service sector, with the latter showing a more marked fall.

"Volatility in financial markets has once again centred attention on China with a renewed lack of confidence in the ability of Chinese policymakers to contain some of the growing risks including capital outflows. While there are heightened risks, overall sentiment among businesses remained relatively resilient in January, with output and orders measures actually ticking higher. Alongside more positive readings from our consumer survey, it points to a more optimistic, or at least less pessimistic outlook, than current doom laden headlines," said Philip Uglow, Chief Economist of MNI Indicators.

The CPA Australia Asia-Pacific Small Business Survey, on the other hand, shows China's small business sector is maintaining a positive economic outlook, with a strong focus on innovation, e-commerce and social media - all key drivers of economic growth.

The findings, from CPA Australia's annual Asia-Pacific Small Business Survey,  provides insights into the views of small businesses across the region and forms part of a longitudinal study that began in 2009. The new results follow extensive surveying of nearly 3,000 small business operators in Malaysia, Vietnam, Indonesia, Hong Kong, Singapore, Australia, New Zealand and mainland China.

CPA Australia chief executive Alex Malley says the survey results show there is real strength in the small business sector in China, with confidence higher than it was last year and appearing set to continue for some time.

"We surveyed small business operators in Beijing, Shanghai, Guangzhou and Chongqing. The results show that China's small businesses have had a successful 12 months, with 77% of respondents reporting that they grew over this period," Malley said.

"Looking to 2016, the results are even more positive, with 78% of small businesses expecting to grow in the year ahead. Confidence in China's economy is also very high, with 71% of respondents expecting the economy to grow in 2016."

Malley added that the positive outlook is translating into jobs, with 43% of China's small business sector reporting that they increased employee numbers in the past 12 months. "China's small businesses are the second most likely of the markets surveyed to innovate, with 32% of respondents definitely expecting to innovate through the introduction of a new product, service or process in the next 12 months that is unique to China or the world. This result is well above the survey average of 22%.

"Small businesses across China are also taking advantage of the large and growing online marketplace and with their nearly universal uptake of social media, are well-placed to out-compete less nimble and tech savvy competitors," he said.

"The range of initiatives China's government has implemented or is implementing to encourage growth and innovation, such as the Belt and Road initiative, the promotion of mass entrepreneurship and innovation, and the Made in China 2025 plan should further inculcate a culture of innovation and entrepreneurship amongst China's small businesses. Such a culture should help drive the next phase of China's economic growth story."

Key findings from the survey for China include:

• Nearly all - 97% - per cent of respondents use social media for business purposes, compared with the survey average of 81%
• Roughly a third (36%) of respondents expect to grow their e-commerce presence to a large extent, compared with the survey average of 32%
• A high proportion (90%) of respondents earned revenue from online sales, compared with the survey average of 69%

Matrade to facilitate SME-large corporation partnerships

Malaysia External Trade Development Corporation (MATRADE) has announced an initiative to help boost Malaysia’s exports of services. The Large Corporation-SME Partnership Programme aims to increase the number of partnerships between Malaysia’s large corporations and SMEs for international projects by way of procurement of the SME’s services by the large corporation. Under this partnership arrangement, SME service providers will benefit in terms of knowledge transfer, capacity building and international exposure.

The partnership programme will run for five years, until 2020, and targets to assist a minimum of 10 SMEs and three partnerships yearly. Participation into the programme is open to Malaysian companies involved in the services sector or companies aspiring to export their services.

“Collaboration between large corporations and SMEs is the way to go. The partnership will give SMEs the opportunities to enhance their capabilities and gain exposure in foreign ventures with large corporations. Mentoring and emulating best practices should be encouraged in business,” said Dato’ Dzulkifli Mahmud, CEO of MATRADE.

The partnership programme is one of the initiatives listed in the Services Sector Blueprint which was launched in March 2015 by YAB Prime Minister of Malaysia Dato’ Seri Najib Tun Haji Abdul Razak. The Blueprint outlines strategic approach to optimise the services sector’s contribution to Malaysia’s economy. The services sector contributed 55% to the gross domestic product (GDP) in 2014 and provided eight million jobs, representing 61% of total employment of the country.

Exports of services in the Q315 increased by 1.7% to RM34.14 billion (year-on-year basis) and higher by 3.9% compared to Q215. The increase in exports were contributed mainly by higher exports of telecommunications, computer and information services (TCIS), construction as well as transports sector.

Source: MATRADE Export Promotion Programmes 2016. Event participation in ICT events for 2016.

The week before, MATRADE unveiled its Work Programme 2016, listing 150 programmes that the trade promotion agency is participating in for the next year. The programmes were selected by factoring in the prevailing global and domestic macroeconomic trends such as the growth of emerging markets and the modernisation of international economic governance.

MATRADE’s Work Programme 2016’s lineup is in accordance with the National Export Council (NEC) strategies that emphasise on addressing the immediate needs of the Malaysian trading community and improving their export presence around the world. The programmes are set to complement NEC’s other strategies towards improving Malaysia’s export ecosystem.

Interested?

Download MATRADE's Export Promotion Programmes 2016